Is your business enjoying the benefits of cloud computing yet? What is cloud computing and what can it do for your business? Lastly, is it worth investing in cloud computing today?
Introduction to Cloud Computing
For starters, cloud computing is an umbrella term for different types of cloud services. This includes the following:
Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is a service that you can use to store your data or back up your files that everyone in your company can access.
Cloud Backup
Where cloud storage is a service where you can place your files on a server and allow people to access it, cloud backup works in a different way. Cloud backup is essentially your failsafe should any unexpected event occur.
With cloud backup, your files sit inside the server and are safe and ready for uploading to restore any damage done to a previous version of your files.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Another benefit of cloud computing is the opportunity to provide your company with tools that they can use to improve their productivity. Applications like Office 360, QuickBooks, and Google Apps are excellent tools to start with.
As online tools, members of your company can continue to work wherever they are without getting burdened by heavy programs or applications.
Cloud Hosting
This is probably what cloud computing is best known for. Data storage, email services, and hosting apps are covered in this section.
Basically, your business can have all of the benefits of cloud computing when you decide to make this move. Businesses who have made the move to cloud computing have seen a vast increase in their productivity once the system is put in place.
What Are the Benefits of Cloud Computing?
Putting your business up on the cloud is a great way to streamline your operations and allow easy access to everyone affiliated with your business. You can provide the level of access to specific individuals based on their position in the company.
1. Cuts Down Your Operational Costs in Half
One of the biggest drawbacks when making the shift to cloud computing is the initial investment needed to establish it. You have to understand that the benefits of cloud computing aren’t measured by the initial cost but by its value over time.
You may be paying a lot up front but the system you put in place will pay for itself the longer it is in use.
2. Additional Features Can Be Purchased as Needed
This is related to initial cost. You can streamline the product you get so that it addresses your company’s basic needs. This significantly reduces the initial cost while increasing the efficiency of the product installed.
As time goes by, you will be able to identify areas where you need to expand or upgrade. This is when buying additional features will come in handy. This high level of customization will help you save money as you upscale your operations.
3. You Get Increased Mobility
Cloud computing increases the accessibility of your company resources to internal and external customers. Your people can now access the tools and information they need anywhere and everywhere at the touch of their screen.
4. Increase Your Company’s Level of Collaboration
A great way to improve productivity is to allow many competent team members access to specific projects. This allows your team members to come in when needed and contribute solutions or ideas in a timely manner.
This makes projects run smoother and gets you results faster.
5. You Have Better Quality Control
Cloud computing allows you to monitor your team’s progress without appearing as if you’re micro-managing the entire event. As a manager you can access as many aspects of the project as you like to see how far along it is in terms of progress or level of completion.
This level of control over the data allows timely corrections to keep projects on track to ensure the quality of the results are at an optimal level.
6. Helps You Recover from Disasters & Loss Quickly
In the event of an emergency situation, you can easily move your data to a different server to ensure no loss in productivity as you try to resolve the matter. You can also have a backup system in place to restore your data should the need arise.
Outages can easily be avoided if you have a staggered data setup where redundant systems are in place should a portion of the server go down. You can easily have your data spread out across other servers to ensure that you are always online to prevent any loss in profit or productivity.
7. You Get Several Useful Insights
Another benefit to cloud computing is having a bird’s eye view over your entire operation. This can lead to timely reports that you can use to keep your progress on track.
You can also customize the level of reporting to get a more organized view of what’s happening across the board.
8. Automatic Software Updates
Anyone who has a smart phone is familiar with the convenience of automatic software updates. The same holds true for companies who have taken advantage of the benefits of cloud computing. And changes to your server or service can be automatically triggered for everyone’s convenience.
Now you won’t need a dedicated IT specialist to go around updating everyone’s system physically. They can trigger the event remotely and minimize the intrusive interaction other than those with escalated issues.
9. Sustainability
It is in everyone’s best interest to reduce their impact on the environment. Reducing the use of physical products like paper is a good start. With cloud computing, you can reduce up to 200% of your current use of physical products to document your progress, communicate, or create reports.
Conclusion
Step into the future by taking advantage of the benefits of cloud computing. Based on what we’ve discussed, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to making that move.
If you still have questions about cloud computing, send us an email and we’ll respond in a timely manner. You can also send us your suggestions so we can expand on this topic further. Lastly, we welcome your testimonials about your experience with cloud computing.